Alarm systems have become increasingly popular due to the recent increases in personal attacks, burglaries and muggings in urban areas. The relatively small number of police available to provide meaningful deterrance to robbers and assailants and the fact that most police in urban areas are motorized, has meant that many citizens have been motivated to rely upon personal and property protection alarms and security services on their premises that do not rely upon the conventional police forces in the community. Many of these protection devices utilize a high volume sound alarm however do not utilize a light, such as a strobe light, or a combination of these warning methods. Such devices would prove highly effective for certain applications where they may be used in a hand held assembly of the type that may be held and turned on by an individual. One problem with current alarms is that once activated, they can be disabled by the assailant or burglar using the same switch which the victim uses to activate the device. Once deactivated, the owner is no better off than before and is deprived of an important means to draw attention to his plight. Since such switches are generally obvious and their location is easily ascertained upon examination of the alarm, an alarm incorporating such a switching system does not provide a full measure of deterrance that a sound alarm and flashing light could provide.
Other configurations have been used, such as those that require a key to turn them off or other elaborate switching methods, but such systems are neither convenient or cost effective for a hand held personal alarm of the type that can be carried on the person.
There remains, therefore, the continuing need for a hand held alarm system which may be rapidly enabled by the owner of the system, but which is difficult for an assailant to disable.